Apparatus for winding waste material

ABSTRACT

A pair of torque motor driven, constant tension, spools is provided on a rotatable table to receive waste material from a continuously operating line. A first one of the spools, which have demountable cores, is positioned to receive waste material and is wound until full. Thereafter, the table is rotated 180* to position a second spool to receive the waste material. Subsequently, the first wound spool is removed, the coiled waste material is emptied from the spool and the spool is then replaced on the table. Thus the waste material is handled without the necessity of stopping the continuously moving line.

United States Pate Inventors Appl No.

Filed Patented Assignee James F. Beeman; Glenn H. Roberts, both of Towanda, Pa.

June 24, 1969 Aug. 10, 1971 Sylvania Electric Products inc.

APPARATUS F OR WINDING WASTE MATERIAL 2 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl.. 242/78J Int. Cl. B2lc 47/02, B2 1 c 47/06 Field of Search 242/78. 1 78.3, 75.2, 56 A, 64, 80, l56.l

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 545.549 9/1895 Strodel 2,32 l ,646 6/1943 Blodgett A.

Primary Examiner-George F. Mautz Assistant Examiner-Gregory A. Walters Anorneys- Norman J. O'Malley, Donald R. Castle and William H. McNeill ABSTRACT: A pair of torque motor driven, constant tension, I

spools is provided on a rotatable table to receive waste material from a continuously operating line. A first one of the spools, which have demountable cores, is positioned to receive waste material and is wound until full. Thereafter, the table is rotated 180 to position a second spool to receive the waste 1 material. Subsequently, the first wound spool is removed, the coiled waste material is emptied from the spool and the spool is then replaced on the table. Thus the waste material is handled without the necessity of stopping the continuously movingJine.

78 I la mama) m w m sum 1 or 4 Il-lu ||||||||l||||||lllv INVENTOIIKS v JAMES F. BEEMAN &

BY GLENN ROBERTS, JR.

ATTORNEY PATENIEU AUG 1 0 m SHEET 2 OF 4 a a N A mM ma B ME 5 E M A J GLENN H. ROBERTS, JR.

ATTORNE Y ATENTEU AUG] 0 Ian sum 3 or a ATTORNEY AUG I 0 l9]! Q 5 3 SHEET 8 UF 4 INVENTORS JAMES F. BEEMAN & GLENN H. ROBERTS,JR.

ATTORNEY APPARATUS FOR WINDING WASTE MATERIAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to apparatus for coiling waste material and particularly to apparatus for coiling waste material which comprises a vertical metal web from which substantial central area have been removed.

Waste material of the type described is the result of chemical milling operations utilized in the manufacture of aperture masks for color television tubes. The raw material for these masks is thin steel web approximately 0.006 inch thick. It is fed, in a continuous process, from a roll of material, as a vertical web through a plurality of processing steps where the material is cleaned, coated with a photoresist material, exposed to a desired pattern, developed, etched and the final mask removed. After the mask removal, a waste portion of the web remains which is the height of the material and which has large central areas (formerly occupied by the mask) removed.

In the past, as this waste material exited from the last operation of the mask line, an operator cut the waste into strips approximately 3 feet long and deposited them in a suitable container. This was an extremely costly and dangerous operation. The steel material is extremely sharp and, after the removal of major areas from the center thereof, very flimsy. This difficulty in handling caused many accidents.

Further, because of the low density of the packaged waste, the salvage value was minimal.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, an object of the invention to obviate the disadvantages of the prior art.

It is another object of the invention to enhance the speed and safety of waste material disposal while lessening the cost and increasing the salvage value ofthe waste material.

These objects are achieved in one aspect of the invention by the provision of a process for coiling such waste material which emanates from a continuously moving line. The process involves fixing the leading edge of the waste material to a first empty spool at a winding station and, under the influence of a torque motor, power winding the waste material about the spool. When the spool is filled to capacity, the waste strip is severed, the filled spool is rotated out of position at the winding station, simultaneously moving into position a second empty spool. The waste strip is attached to the new spool and winding is again commenced. While the second spool is winding, the first spool is removed, emptied, and replaced to repeat the cycle.

Apparatus for accomplishing the process comprises a rotatable table mounted upon a suitable support. First and second rotatable spools are diametrically mounted on the table and means are included for driving the spools. Also pro vided are means for releasably mounting the spools on the table.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is an elevational view of the apparatus of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional plan view of the apparatus taken along the line 2-2 ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional plan view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. I; and

FIGS. 4-7 are partial elevational views illustrating a sequence of operation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS For a better understanding of the present invention, together with other and further objects, advantages and capabilities thereof, reference is made to the following disclosure and appended claims in connection with the above-described drawings.

Referring now to the drawings with greater particularity, there is shown in FIG. 1 an apparatus 10 for coiling waste material 12 which emanates from a continuously moving line (not shown). The apparatus 10 is particularly useful in coiling waste material remaining from the manufacture of shadow masks for color cathode-ray tubes. This material 12 has had substantial central areas removed, as indicated at 14.

Apparatus 10 comprises a movable table 16 mounted, in this instance, for at least 180 of rotation about a fixed support 18. The mounting of table 16 can be accomplished by any suitable type of bearing structure which will allow easy rotation of the table 16.

First and second spools 20, 22 respectively, are mounted in diametric opposition to one another adjacent the ends 24, 26 of table 16.

The spools 20, 22 are unirotational; i.e., they will rotate in only one direction, clockwise in this instance. The unirotational feature is controlled by overrunning clutches 28, 30 which allow an operator to thread and spin the spool to take up any slack in the strip which may have developed during the threading operation.

The spools 20, 22 are individually driven by torque motors 32, 34 respectively, which are suitably mounted on a support 36 which depends from table 16. As shown in FIG. 1 right angle drive means 38, 40 are utilized; however, this is illustrative only and other drive systems may be employed. The use of two independent motors allows the apparatus 10 to be used in the event of a breakdown in one of the motors. The torque motors should be sufficiently rated so that they will operate in a stalled condition 100 percent of the time, thus allowing the coiler to maintain a constant tension on the material 12 in the event the line stops running. Some adjustments in the torque output of each motor can be made through the use of a variable transformer 41, FIG. 1.

The spools 20, 22 each comprise upper and lower spaced apart flanges 42, 44 respectively. A baseplate 46 is centrally fixedly positioned exteriorly of lower flange 44 as by bolts 48. The bottom surface 50 of baseplate 46 is provided with keyways 52 which engage keys 54 projecting upwardly from the terminal driving hub 56 which is fixed to drive shaft 58. The spools 20, 22 are demountable; i.e., they contain a collapsible hub 59 to aid in removing the wound scrap material. The collapsible hubs 59 comprise a center post 60 which projects through both flanges and has a threaded upper end 62 and a lower end 64 which is fixed in baseplate 46. Surrounding center post 60 are at least two hub forming posts 66; in the present embodiment four are utilized. The hub forming posts 66 are equidistantly spaced from center post 60 and have a given diameter. The terminal ends of the posts 66 are provided with a smaller diameter portion which fits into suitably sized holes in the upper and lower flanges. The flanges and posts are held together by means of a nut 68 which is threaded on upper end 62 of center post 60.

The spools 20, 22 are retained on table 16 by overhead bearings 70 which are attached to hinged plates 72. Plates 72 are hinged to suitable standards 74 which project upwardly from table 16, as shown in FIG. 1.

Also mounted upon standards 74 are waste maintaining means 67 in the form of spring loaded paddles 78. The paddles 78 are of such a height that they fit in-between the flanges 42, 44 and contact the hub of the spools. The contact pressure is provided by springs 80 which are held in position by rods 82. The paddles are suitably hinged as at 84 in any well-known manner.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a stop mechanism 86 for preventing more than 180 of rotation of table 16. The mechanism comprises a fixed tongue 88 attached to support 18 and a pair of opposed stop nubbins 90 fixed to support 36. A locking bolt 92 positioned in a suitable aperture in a flange 94 of collar 96 prevents undesired rotation by locking support 36 between the stop nubbin and bolt 92.

The movement of table 16 is restricted to in either direction to prevent the motor wires from tearing loose.

In operation, a first empty spool 20 is operatively positioned adjacent the exit area of a continuously moving line and a leading edge of waste material 12 emanating therefrom is fixed to the hub of the spool by any suitable means; e.g., by taping the material to the hub or by intertwining the material in the posts ofthe hub as shown in FIG. 2. The spool is spun by an operator to take up any slack that has accumulated and first torque motor 38 is actuated, as by switch 98. A similar switch (not shown) is provided for actuating second motor 40. If not already in place, spring loaded paddle 78 is released (generally a latch, not shown, is provided to keep paddle 78 out of position during the start of the winding operation and during the unloading of a wound spool) and contacts the coil. The continues until a given amount has collected on the spool, at which time an operator deactivates motor 38 and severs the waste material to form a new leading edge and secures the cut edge to the portion already wound. Again, this can be done by taping as indicated at 97 in FIG. 4. Locking bolt 92 is removed and table 16 rotated in the appropriate direction until a stop nubbin 90 contacts fixed tongue 88. LOcking bolt 92 is then replaced. The rotating action just performed has moved the first spool 20 out of operative alignment and simultaneously replaced it with second spool 22. The threading and start procedure for spool 22 is again initiated and is the same as described above in regard to spool 20.

The filled spool removal sequence is illustrated in FIGS. 4- 7. Nut 68 is loosened by an operator and hinged plate 72 carrying bearing 70 is pivoted out of engagement with center post 60. The nut 68 is completely removed and is replaced with a threaded eyelet 100. A hook 102 from a ceiling mounted power winch 104 is inserted in eyelet 100 and the winch energized as by switch 106. After the loaded spool is raised sufficiently to clear the keys 54, it is moved to a dumping location by the winch which is preferably mounted on a conveyor rail, and lowered. When in the proper position the loaded spool is tipped on its side and eyelet 100 removed. When this is accomplished, upper flange 42 is removed, thus disengaging the upper ends of posts 66 allowing them to collapse toward the center post 60, greatly facilitating the removal of the lower flange 44 and attached center post 60.

After the coil of waste material is removed from the collapsible hub 59 the spool is reassembled and replaced in position on driving hub 56 to be ready for the next cycle of operation.

Obviously, the above description is exemplary only and any other suitable removal procedure can be utilized.

Thus, it will be seen that the apparatus and process described obviates the disadvantages of the prior art. It operates safely and efficiently and requires only part-time supervision by an operator, thus freeing the same for more important duties. The scrap or waste material is more densely packaged than heretofore and its salvage value increased.

While there have been shown and described what are at present considered the preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

lclaim:

1. Apparatus for coiling waste material of continuously moving vertical web from which substantial central areas have been removed, said material having a vertical height much greater than its thickness, said apparatus comprising: a movable table; means for supporting said table; first and second rotatable spools mounted on said table in diametric opposition to one another, said spools comprising upper and lower removable flanges spaced apart a distance slightly greater than said vertical height of said material and a collapsible center core, said core having at least an axially located center post which is fitted into said lower flange and which projects through said upper flange; said lower flange being provided on its exterior surface with a baseplate having orienting means therein; drive means for said spools having terminating hubs provided with orientin means cooperating with said orienting means of said spool; irst and second upright standards positioned adjacent said first and second spools having hinged cover plates, said plates serving to releasably contain said spools on said table and having the distal portion provided with a bearing for engaging said projecting portion of said center post whereby axial alignment of said spools is maintained; and clutch means connected to said drive means to allow rotation in only a single direction.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein means are provided for maintaining said waste material on said spools, said means comprising vertically oriented paddles having a height slightly less than the distance between said ipper and lower flanges whereby said paddles will fit therebetween, said paddles being spring loaded and mounted upon said upright standards.

powso UNITED STATES PATEN'I OFFICE CERTIFICATE, OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,598,333 Dated A gust 10, 1971 Inventoflg) James F. Beeman and Glenn H. Roberts It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that saidLetters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 2 line 61 of the specification "67" should read--76-.c

Column 3, line 14 of the specification The continues" should read--The winding continues- Column 3 line 20 of the specification "Locking" should read--Locking-.

Column h, line 14, of the claims "I claim:" should read-- We claim:

Signed and sealed this 7th day of March 1 972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

1. Apparatus for coiling waste material of continuously moving vertical web from which substantial central areas have been removed, said material having a vertical height much greater than its thickness, said apparatus comprising: a movable table; means for supporting said table; first and second rotatable spools mounted on said table in diametric opposition to one another, said spools comprising upper and lower removable flanges spaced apart a distance slightly greater than said vertical height of said material and a collapsible center core, said core having at least an axially located center post which is fitted into said lower flange and which projects through said upper flange; said lower flange being provided on its exterior surface with a base plate having orienting means therein; drive means for said spools having terminating hubs provided with orienting means cooperating with said orienting means of said spool; first and second upright standards positioned adjacent said first and second spools having hinged cover plates, said plates serving to releasably contain said spools on said table and having the distal portion provided with a bearing for engaging said projecting portion of said center post whereby axial alignment of said spools is maintained; and clutch means connected to said drive means to allow rotation in only a single direction.
 2. The invention of claim 1 wherein means are provided for maintaining said waste material on said spools, said means comprising vertically oriented paddles having a height slightly less than the distance between said upper and lower flanges whereby said paddles will fit therebetween, said paddles being spring loaded and mounted upon said upright standards. 